Uttar Pradesh workshop gutted

Lucknow, April 29 (IANS) Equipment and machinery worth several lakhs were gutted after a major fire broke out in a workshop of the state-owned Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited (UPPCL) in Sultanpur district, an official said Friday. No casualties were reported.

The fire, suspected to be from an electric short circuit, engulfed the workshop in Dariyapur town Thursday night.

Five fire tenders took several hours to douse the flames that destroyed a major portion of the workshop.

“The fire spread across the workshop fast because of the inflammable transformer oil kept there. Cables and other machinery were also gutted,” Chief Fire Officer S.K. Singh told reporters Friday in Sultanpur, some 150 km from Lucknow.

According to him, the trapped workers were safely rescued with the assistance of local people and police.

Officials said the exact loss in the fire was yet to be ascertained, but it could be around Rs.20-25 lakh.